This Is How We Live is a 30-minute Soviet documentary program
that looks at the current alienation of various groups of Soviet
young people, focusing primarily on the "punks" and the
"fascists." This and 21 other films have been released on 12
videotapes under the series title, Glasnost Film Festival. The
programs are recorded in Russian with very legible English
subtitles.

Without giving any background, the director of this production
plunges the viewer into an interview with a group of "punk"
teenagers who look much like their American counterparts, with
wild hair styles, radical clothing, etc. Segments of live rock
concerts, showing both performers and participants, punctuate the
interview. Then the camera focuses on some very clean-cut
conservative-looking young men who explain that their group has a
program that will solve many of the current Soviet problems. As
they outline their agenda, it sounds very much like Hitler's
program, and indeed their only objection to Hitler's way is that
it did not go far enough. The third major voice of contention is
that of a teacher, who verbalizes her opinion that the Soviet
schools are a major reason for the youths' alienation. As she
talks, the camera shows scenes of young teenagers in what appears
to be a middle school.

Considering that this is a documentary, the producer has
chosen well-focused visuals. The interviewees speak in audible
Russian, and the subtitles are readable at all times. The cutting
and shifting from one perspective and group to another, and the
integration of historic news clips from the World War II era, are
smoothly done.

This program should spur consideration of the many points of
comparison between youth in the Soviet Union and in the United
States. It should also raise questions in the viewer's mind about
how prevalent these young people's views are throughout the
Soviet Union, what percentage of Russian youth belong to the
various groups, and what changes they will effect. This program
would be a useful addition to high school and college courses in
contemporary Soviet life, and for adult groups studying changes
in US-Soviet relations.

The other program on this videotape, a 17-minute documentary,
is one of the first to offer Soviet veterans' comments on the
Russo-Afghan war. The disillusionment expressed in this film
begins with the opening scene of tanks passing burned-out
skeletons of destroyed military vehicles, and builds through
interviews with veterans. Even in the time of celebration of
meeting loved ones back in Russia, most of the interviewees say
that no one understands what they went through. They talk of the
loss of morality during war - of how easy it is to kill and
plunder. In one very poignant vignette, a mother reflects on the
unnecessary loss of her son in the war. Regret, anger, and
feelings of loss of morality and wasted lives and time are the
major themes in this program. The closing segments focus on the
veterans' attempts to put meaning back into their lives.

The producer chose to film this entire documentary in black
and white, giving it a very "classic" feeling. The background
mood music is so effective that it transcends the language
barrier. Consistent with the classic tone, an introductory
paragraph (in English) precedes the documentary, explaining the
time frame and giving just enough background so that the viewer
is tuned in to the film's contents. As with the other film on
this tape (This Is How We Live), the dialogue is in audible
Russian, with very readable English subtitles.

This is a basic antiwar film that could help an American
audience compare the Afghan war with our Vietnam War. This
program could also be used as part of a Russian history course,
or with courses about war in general. Other prospective uses
would be in a literature course, film study course, and in
counseling returned veterans. Although it contains some war
scenes, it is not a factual, statistical recounting of the war
itself.